The Last Lecture

May 26, 2008
Made famous by his “Last Lecture” at Carnegie Mellon and the quick Internet proliferation of the video of the event, Pausch decided that maybe he just wasn't done lecturing. Despite being several months into the last stage of pancreatic cancer, he managed to put together this book. The crux of it is lessons and morals for his young and infant children to learn once he is gone. Despite his sometimes-contradictory life rules, it proves entertaining and at times inspirational. Surprisingly, the audiobook doesn't include the reading of Pausch's actual “Last Lecture,” which he gave on September 18, 2007, a month after being diagnosed. Erik Singer provides an excellent inflective voice that hints at the reveries of past experiences with family and children while wielding hope and regret for family he will leave behind. The first CD is enhanced with photos. Simultaneous release with the Hyperion hardcover.

A sort of reverse engineering created this recording of Pausch's book of life lessons, based on his lecture "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--first a sensation as a viral video on YouTube. The video, the book, and the audiobook are now part of the legacy Pausch left after his death from pancreatic cancer in July 2008. Narrator Erik Singer skillfully becomes Pausch for listeners. He adopts the Carnegie Mellon computer science professor's direct, exuberant manner but tempers it with the serious and wistful reflection that the work embodies. Singer gets across the "live in the moment" philosophy that Pausch embraced and creates an audio experience that honors him. Worth multiple re-listenings and sharings. R.F.W. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine